Rock climbing on Long Porcupine Island, Acadia NP, Maine

May 25, 2001

Any climber who has ever seen the beautiful sheer cliffs rising straight out of the water on the southern end of Long Porcupine Island must have wished to climb them. We did it, these photos tell our story. After about two miles of kayaking, we negotiated the tricky landing at the foot of the cliff, lifted our boats out of the surf, anchored them to the rock with climbing protection, and up we went... The climbing was so good that I can't wait to return there.

Trip-participants: Zach Malchano,Hector Briceno, and Robert Zeithammer

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The way up

This benign-looking open book involved a 40-foot unrelenting layback. Hector did a great job leading it, and rated it 5.9


Landing site


Zach follows, kayak anchored bellow
Hector on the lead


Good crack-climbing technique helps!
Exploring some more

Once at the to of the cliff, we dropped a top-rope on a more ambitious-looking climb...and there must be at least twenty more we left untouched.


The whole cliff
Hector on the left crack-system


Zooming in...


Rapelling back down to the boats

The view from clifftop towards Mount Desert Island

Photos by Robert Zeithammer unless he is in them in which case they are by Zach Malchano.